3 easy steps to fix bad burnt smelly fireplace odors and foul smokey chimney ash stink

3 easy steps to fix bad burnt smelly fireplace odors and foul smokey chimney ash stink

Fix bad burnt smelly fireplace odors and foul smokey chimney ash stink

So you had a fire or two over the winter months, and even as it sits dormant your unused chimney smells bad. You made sure to clean out the old ash and leftover charred logs from your firebox, but the chimney smells when it rains. You even took out the vacuum hose and really cleaned out the firebox super well. But you are still trying to fix bad burnt smelly fireplace odors and the house smells like smoke from fireplace.

Most of the time, home owners go right to scheduling with their chimney sweep to stop the smell. But a chimney scrubbing can sometimes make the burnt smokey smell worse. Here are a few DIY cheap things to try first to help you stop the smokey chimney stink:

Here are the 3 steps to fix bad burnt smelly fireplace odors and foul smokey chimney ash stink:

1) Seal the chimney low and tight. Your chimney operates like a dirty snorkel for your house. It breathes in and it breathes out. Even if your metal damper is closed, they do not seal tightly. Metal dampers warp when they are heated and cooled repeatedly. Also, the negative pressure in your house from clothes dryers, HVAC, vent fans, etc.. can suck outside air right down the flue and drag in chimney smells. By installing a Flueblocker or Chimney Balloon as low as possible in the flue, you can seal much of the smell outside.
Ash pit causes smokey smell

Ash pit causes smokey smell

2) Look for an ash pit. Look at the floor of your firebox. Is there a metal flapper there or an open hole that leads down into an ash dump pit? You may have to pry up and remove the flapper cover of the ash pit to get access to the hole itself. That chute will need to be sealed up tightly too. You can inflate a small Chimney Balloon into the pit to seal it off tightly.

3) Baking Soda to deodorize the firebox. The firebox may be clean and vacuumed out, but the creosote glaze or leftover ash could still be releasing acrid acidic odors. This is how to make fireplace smell good and how to get rid of soot smell in house. Take a full box of baking soda and sprinkle it over the floor of the firebox, and throw it against the walls of the firebox.
You can use a little spray bottle of water to damper the walls to get the powdery baking soda  to stick, but don’t go too crazy with the sprayer. Let that sit in the firebox for a few weeks, and use a vacuum hose with a VERY good filter to vacuum that up.

99% of the time these 3 tips work and eliminate the odor issue, but If you still need to fix bad burnt smelly fireplace odors and foul smokey chimney ash stink contact us for personalized troubleshooting over the phone. You may have some chimney or home related issues to take into consideration.

There are a million variables, and we can help you get to the bottom of it, so you can close the burnt fireplace smell out of your home.

On warmer days and rainy days, we have a strong smoke burnt smell from the fireplace insert.

On warmer days and rainy days, we have a strong smoke burnt smell from the fireplace insert.

Q: Jason, On warmer winter days and rainy days, we have a strong smoke smell in the house. We have a fireplace insert. Would the Chimney Balloon help with this problem?- SQ

A: Dear SQ, The first thing you can do to cut down on smoke smell during the humid days is first to clean the ash out of the fireplace insert with a shop vac. Humidity has a bad habit of making soot, creosote, and ash to smell stronger.

Some people are under the misconception that a chimney sweeping or cleaning will remove this burnt smell, and I have not found that to be the case. Chimney sweeping is good and should be done regularly, but the brushing action often stirs up the creosote and ash in the flue making it stronger smelling for a while.

The next step is to separate your flue from the house by sealing it off. A Chimney Balloon will work to stop the smelly fireplace stink if you can access the chimney flue opening. Some inserts have metal baffles in the firebox that prevent access to the chimney flue from the firebox. However, there should be a way to access your flue since a chimney sweep has to do this in order to sweep the chimney and then get the ash he brushed off out. You may want to ask your sweep how he accesses your lower flue to remove the ash he brushes off the flue wall. There may be an ash clean-out or removable portion of your flue pipe that you are unaware of. If you can touch the inside of the flue or damper opening area then you can install the Chimney Balloon and it will seal off the chimney low and tight and will not allow the creosote buildup in the chimney to stink up the house.

If you still have a smell to deal with it is probably from the firebox. To further neutralize any lingering smell, you can use a large salad bowl of white vinegar. Just put a good amount of vinegar in the bowl and set it in the firebox for a  day or two. This can also do a great job of neutralizing the fireplace burnt smell.

If you need to go one step further, you can also treat the firebox with baking soda (just remember to remove the vinegar bowl first). Sprinkle baking soda liberally over the floor and walls of the firebox. Let it set a few days and then vacuum it off. – Jason

My house reeks of smoke long after the fire is out in the fireplace.

My house reeks of smoke long after the fire is out in the fireplace.

Smokey House

Q: How can I stop the strong burnt odor smell from the fireplace and from my home? It is even there when I am not using the fireplace and it is an unpleasant smell. -GHJ

A: GHJ, The first thing you have to do is stop the odor at its source by closing off the flue and chimney airtight. Your damper will not do this since it is metal and it will not lend you a tight enough seal. You can use a chimney plug or a chimney pillow to seal it off so no more odor will descend the chimney. The creosote up there can give off a surprising amount of stink especially if the wood was moist or pitchy.

The white vinegar trick will work very well if you put a large flat bowl of it in the center of the room for about 24 hours. With kids or pets, this may not be very practical.

If the weather is nice you can also open the house up and use fans to exhaust the air outside. Turn your furnace off before you do this though. As my mother always said, “No sense in heating the neighborhood.”

If you need the smoke smell out of a surface then put baking soda on it overnight and vacuum it off in the morning. – Jason

The real issue of this question is indoor air quality. Read more about indoor air quality at http://www.theworldwomenwant.com/yourworld/home/air.php?page=ar

When there is a fire in the downstairs fireplace, I get smoke crossover and smell in the upstairs. How do I stop this?

When there is a fire in the downstairs fireplace, I get smoke crossover and smell in the upstairs. How do I stop this?

Downstairs fireplace

Q: Jason, I live in a main-floor condo with one upstairs neighbor. We have separate chimneys that are contained in one wood encasement. When my neighbor is burning a fire in his fireplace I have a strong smoke smell in my condo. My best guess is that the smoke is getting in through the top of the chimney. Is the seal on a Chimney Balloon tight enough to prevent this from happening?- MH

A: Dear MH, Maureen, This is a classic case of smoke crossover from one chimney to the other and it is a very common issue especially in apartments and condos, but it happens in homes with more than one chimney as well.

The answer to your question is, Yes, the Chimney Balloon will stop the smoke and odor from entering your home through the chimney. Your condo is “breathing in” through the chimney (which is often the path of least resistance for air entry into a home). And your neighbor’s condo is outputting smoke right next to your chimney. After putting in a tight-fitting Chimney Balloon your home will no longer be taking in air through the chimney. The air will find another entry point that is easier to draw through like a window or door jamb. This change of entry point will prevent the smoke from entering your condo. – Jason

Followup: 

Q: Jason,  I figured an update might help someone unsure if this product works. I received and installed my Chimney Balloon a week ago and it has made a drastic difference! I am no longer smoked out! What a relief! Because my chimney was very small(9″ round),(and my damper door was angled in such a way that it was impossible to get my arm around it)I had a friend come over and help me remove the damper door, position the Chimney Balloon, and then reattach the damper. I am so glad I did. Thank you!- MH

A: Dear MH, Sometimes the damper hardware can be very difficult to contend with. I’m glad you applied your ingenuity to get past the troublesome damper hardware to solve the smoke chimney crossover problem. As you found the Chimney Balloon will seal the chimney flue tightly so the home will not “breath” through the chimney anymore and take in the other chimneys smoke. – Jason